Vodehnal



April 26, 1960 J. VODEHNAL PUNCHED can REPRODUCER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledAug. 21, 1957 INVENTOR. um ware/2m April 1960 J. VODEHNAL 2,934,144

PUNCHED cm: REPRODUCER File'd Aug. 21, 1957 a Sheets-Sheet z April 1960J. VODEHNAL 2,934,144

PUNCHED CARD REPRODUCER Filed Aug. 21, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORUnited States Patent PUNCHED CARD REPRODUCER Jiri Vodehnal, Prague,Czechoslovakia, assignor to Aritma, narodni podnik, Prague,Czechoslovakia Application August 21, 1957, Serial No. 679,489 A 1Claim. (Cl. 164114) The invention relates to a punched card reproducerwith a correcting mechanism for reproducing cards from original orsample punched cards.

It is an object of the invention to provide a reproducer in which all ofthe punched data of the original card may be transferred to the punchingmechanism, or any desired data of the sample card can be cancelled andwhich are then not transmitted to the new card, or other constant datacan be introduced for subsequent punching in the new cards.

It is another object of the invention to provide a reproducer of theabove mentioned type which permits the transfer of a limited number ofdata to various columns.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reproducer of theabove mentioned type in which, by means of a special key-board,corrections of data from originally faulty cards and transfer of correctdata to the punching mechanism may be efiected.

Another object of the invention is to provide a reproducer which isadapted to efiect the punching operation on the basis of creased or tornsample cards.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a machine which, inaddition to providing normal reproductions of punched sample cards,accelerates several times the correction of faulty cards as comparedwith hitherto known machines.

According to one of the main features of the invention the data read orsensed from a punched card in the code thereof and entered in the samecode in an adjus'tment box of the punching mechanism may besimultaneously corrected on a special decimal slide key-board mechanismin any desired columns prior to punching a new card.

According to a further feature of the invention the slide mechanism isadapted to decode data set in a decimal system to correspond with thecode of the card, to cancel in the respective columns data read from theoriginal or sample card and to directly set new data into the adjustmentbox of the punching mechanism.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novelcombinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear inthe course of the following description. However, the drawings merelyshow and the following description merely describes preferredembodiments of the present invention, which are given by way ofillustration or example only.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows the reproducer according to the invention in a sectionalview, the lower part being omitted,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of part of the slide keyboard with theadjustment mechanism,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a needle used for adjusting the slides,

Fig. 4 is an elevation view, partly in section, of a displaceabletransfer chamber provided with Bowden cables and Fig. 5 is a partialbottom plan view of the mechanism.

The upper part of the machine shown in Fig. 1 serves for the feeding ofpunched sample cards which are to be reproduced. The sample cards areinserted into a feed hopper 1 of a known design used also in connectionwith other machines of this type. The'control and drive of the upperpart of the machine is effected by a shaft 2 extending transverselythrough the machine and driven by way of bevel gearing from a verticaldriving shaft, which is not shown in the drawing.

The sample cards are fed successively between feeding rollers 3, 4, 5, 6which convey them between plates 7 and 8 until the card abuts against astop 9. The reading or sensing operation is carried out from above bymeans of a vertically movable reading or sensing mechanism 10 slidablymounted on a pair of guide columns. All punched data on a card betweenplates 7 and 8 are transferred by means of a transfer mechanism 11 tothe lower part of the machine.

After the reading or sensing mechanism has completed its reading of thepunched data on a card, the mechanism 16 is raised to an upper position,and the stop 9 is shifted to release the sample card which is thenconveyed by rollers 12, 13, 14, 15 between ejecting rollers 16 and 17which put it on top of a stack of cards on a plate 18 of an upperstorage hopper 19 secured to the cover of the machine.

The arrangement is such as to cause one sample card to pass through themachine during each revolution of the shaft 2. When a plurality of cardsare to be punched according to the pattern of a single sample card, therequired sample card may be retained in the reading-sensing mechanism bypressing a control-button, whereupon any desired number of equalreproductions may be punched.

The feeding hopper 1 is operated by a cam 20 mounted on the shaft 2 andtransmitting motion to the hopper mechanism by means of a lever 22 and aspring 21. The feed rollers 3, 4, 5 and 6 are also driven from the shaft2 by a suitable gearing (not shown). The rollers 12, 13, 15 and 16 areprovided with divided shafts and are driven from both sides by separatetransmission gears (not shown) from the roller 5. The dividedarrangement of shafts permits the transfer mechanism 11 to be insertedinto the machine, said mechanism 11 be ing actuated directly by thereading or sensing mecha' nism 10.

The reading or sensing mechanism 10 is provided with 540 needles 23,which after having passed downwardly through punched holes in a samplecard and through holes in a guiding plate 45 are secured by means ofplates 24 in their lower position. The reading or sensing mechanism isdriven downwardly to sense or read the punched holes of the sample cardby means of a pair of cams on shaft actuating bent levers 27 and a pairof links (not shown) whereas the upward movement is efiected by twopairs of springs 26.

The movement of the securing plates 24 is derived from the movement ofthe reading or sensing mechanism by means of a lever 25 which isconnected, at one end, to the plates 24 and, at its other end, follows atemplate 28. If no punched card is fed between the plates 7 and S of themechanism, a lever 29 is then engaged by a con trol pin 30 and retainthe lever 25 in a position where the needles 23 are not secured in theirlowered positions by the plates 24. In this way the simultaneoustransfer of data corresponding to all 540 needles is prevented, as suchtransfer could destroy the punching mechanism. The card stop 9 iscontrolled by a cam (not shown) mounted on the shaft 2 and actuating alink 31 which is connected to a pair of levers 32 attached, by means ofa transfer 3 hollow pivot to the stop, and the latter is mounted forsliding motion on vertical pins 33.

In order to permit reproduction of torn or crushed cards an auxiliarydevice35 is mounted between guiding plates 34 secured to the cover ofthe machine. The device consists of two plates between which the damagedcard is placed so as to be held flat, after which the assembly isinserted between plates 7 and 8 of the conveying device. This is madepossible onthe one hand by the storage hopper 19 being mounted fortilting movement on a rotatable hinge together with a part of the hoodand further by depressing a lever 36 which, by means of bent levers 38,raises the feeding roller 17 and tilts the lever 32 so as to raise thestop 9. Further, depression of lever 36 causes a pair of links 37 todeflect levers 39 in the direction raising the plate 8 together with thefeed rollers 14 and 15. The'plate 8 is mounted for vertical movement onscrews '40 carrying springs which press .the plate 8 downwards. In orderto prevent the device 35 inserted into the feed-mechanism from beingejected by the feed rollers during the rotation, suitable recesses areprovided in the device 35 which keep the rollers out of frictionalengagement therewith. Moreover, the device 35 is secured in its correctposition by the stop 9, which snaps into a corresponding notch in theauxiliary device.

The central part of the machine receives the mechanism 11 whichtransfers all data to an adjustment device of the punching mechanism.The mechanism 11 is provided with 540 wires 41, which correspond to theneedles 23 of reading mechanism and each carrying two collars. The uppercollars of wires 41 abut against the guiding plate 45, whereas the lowercollars serve as supports for pressure springs 42 tending to hold thewires in raised position. The wires are guided at their lower end in aplate 46. The mechanism 11 may be inserted into the machine on rails 44and secured in its correct position by locks 43.

7 Instead of the above described transfer mechanism 11 having straightwires 41, a modified transfer mechanism provided with Bowden cables(Fig. 4) may be inserted into the machine, such modified mechanismpermitting within a limited range the transfer of punched data from onepoint of the sample card to another point of the card to be punched. Themodified mechanism of Fig. 4 consists of several five-column connectingpieces 47 and 48 linked together by means of Bowden cables 52. Theconnecting pieces 47 and 48 are securedmerely by screws 49 and 50 andmay easily be placed in any desired lateral positions relative to eachother. The relative lateral positions of the top and bottom pieces 47and 48 may be altered by simplychanging the positions of spacing pieces51. The pins 53 of the bottom connecting pieces 48 tend to be lifted bysprings 54 so as to permit the transfer mechanism to be installed in andremoved from the machine.

Inserted between the transfer mechanism 11 and the adjustment box of apunching mechanism 55 (Fig. l) is a special correcting device 54 havingpins 56 and which permits the data sensed from the sample card to beinfluenced by means of a slide key-board. The pins 56 correspond to thewires 41 of the transfer mechanism 11 of Fig. l or to the lower pins 53of the alternative transfer mechanism of Fig. 4. Links 57, 58 aremovable between the individual columns of pins 56, said links 57. and 58being movable in the horizontal direction by keyboard slides 59 and 60,which may be pulled out by the operator and also being movable in thevertical direction through a predetermined path upon each revolution ofthe machine. 7

The operation of the mentioned special correcting device 54 isapparentfrom Fig. 2. The slides 59 with links 57 correspond to the upper half ofthe punched card and the slides 60 and links 58 correspond to the bottomhalf of the punched card. By pulling out a particular slide, forexample, by pulling out the slide 59 in column 9 of the upper half, toposition No. 2, as shown in Fig. 2 the corresponding link'57 is adjustedwith respect to the pins 56 so that a claw 57a of the adjusted link 57upon downward movement of the device 54 depresses the pin correspondingto No. 9 while a socket 57b of the link depresses the pin correspondingto No. 1. In this way the number 2 is inserted into the adjustment boxof the punching" mechanism 55 in the code of the card. Pawls 61 areurged by flat springs 65 against ratchet teeth on the slides 59 tosecure the slides 59 in their adjusted positions. The pawls are tiltedby ramps provided on the slides at one end of the series of ratchetteeth in such a way that'by means of links 63 they raise cancellinglevers 67 (Fig. 1).

Upon movement of an axle 71 to the right, as viewed in Fig. l, thecancelling levers 67, which are mounted on such axle, displacecorresponding slides 76 of the adjustment box. 55 to the right, so as torelease pins 77 which during each operating cycle. The first suchmovement cards.

takes place prior to the punching of a new card and this movement causescancellation of those columns only, in which the slide 59 or 60 has beenpulled out, and the second such movement takes place after the card hasbeen punched in order to cancel all data then stored in the memory oradjustment box of punching mechanism 55. Upon the second cancellationmovement of axle 71, an axle 79 is moved upward and shifts all levers 67and 68 against protrusions on the slides 76. The drive of thecancellation axle 71 is effected from a cam on a shaft 81, by way ofatwo-armlever (not shown), a link 75, a lever 74 extending radially froma shaft 73 and a lever 72 extending from shaft 73 and carrying axle 71.The drive of the lifting axle 79 is derived in a similar way, but fromanother cam on shaft 81 which actuates a mechanical transmission causingrocking of a shaft having arms 78 projecting radially therefrom andsupporting axle .79.

The described arrangement permits the cancellation of any desiredcolumns by adjusting the slides 59 and 60. If the operator pulls theslides 59 and 60 to the position m, the indication retained in'thecorresponding place of the adjustment box 55. is canceled before thecard is perforated, thus preventing the indication from beingtransferred to the perforated card. When the slides 59, 60 are pulledoutto one of the numbered positions 1 to 9, constant data are indicated onthe corresponding places of the perforated card irrespective of thetouched data. This permits quick repair of faultily perforated Faultycards detected by a verifying machine which checks the perforated cardsare inserted into the top feed hopper 1. By depressing the trigger 'of asingle revolutionmechanism the first card is fed, read or sensed andlaid away in the storage hopper 19, where it is clearly visible in thelight of a lamp 82. A faulty column in the card may be marked andcorrected with a pencil. The operator pulls out the respective slide 59or 60 by means of a needle 89 (shownin Fig. 3) to indicate the correctvalue. When the machine is restarted, a new card is punched in thebottom portion according to the original card, but with the correctionwhich has been carried out. At the same time a further faulty card mayberead or sensed in the top portion of the apparatus.

the cancelling operation. The card to be punched is fed from a magazine86 onto a matrix 85, which during a further revolution of the shaft 81of the machine is raised together with the card against verticallymovable punches 84. The punches 84 underlie vertically movable pins 88associated with pins 77, and the punching operation is carried out onlyby those punches 84 which are supported by pins 88 secured againstvertical movement by the associated pins 77. After the punchingoperation the punched card is led away to a storage hopper 87.

The feeding of cards in the upper and lower parts of the apparatus isarranged so that if a card fails to be fed, the machine is automaticallystopped. The bottom part (not shown) of the machine comprises a motorwith a worm gear, a starter, a mechanism for continuous operation andfor single-revolution operation, the electrical installation and a wastereceptacle.

I claim:

A sample punched card reproducer comprising a card feeding unit, avertically displaceable reading unit for reading data from successivesample cards, a punching device for the cards to be punched, transfermeans actuated in response to the reading of data by said reading unitand operative to concurrently introduce such data into the punchingdevice, memory means in said punching device adapted to receive the datato be transferred, a correction device interposed between the transfermeans and said memory means of the punching device, said correctiondevice having vertical flat pins for each punching position and for eachcolumn, horizontal slides and links adapted for co-operation with thevertical flat pins, numerical scales provided on said slides foreffecting selective correction of data to be'transferred, a system ofpawls engageable with said slides to secure them in individual digitpositions, securing plates in said memory means, means operativelyconnecting said securing plates to the pawls so that each securing plateis displaced when the related slide is pulled out to cancel the data ofthe respective column transferred by the transfer means prior to thepunching of the card, means on each link to secure in its column theflat vertical pin corresponding in the code of the punched card to thepulled out digit position or" the related slide and means in saidpunching device by which the data set by the links of said correctiondevice are punched in the card in the respective columns.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,934,934 Lorant Nov. 14, 1933 2,021,302 Gates Nov. 19, 1935 2,108,681Lasker Feb. 15, 1938 2,713,390 Kase et a1. July 19, 1955 2,756,824 BraunJuly 31, 1956

